Sunday, May 2, 2010

Enjoying the Small Things

I follow Kelle Hampton's blog, Enjoying the Small Things, religiously, ever since my bff sent me a link to one of the most depressing yet uplifting blog entries I had ever read. Kelle seems to have an average life (above average at times), yet she invites readers in to one of her most devastating experiences and shares how she is moving past it a little bit each day. Kelle, a phenomenal photographer, documented her family life and pregnancy on her blog. The biggest shock to her (and her readers) came when she delivered a baby with Down Syndrome. Choosing not to do a chromosome test pre-birth because of the moral implications, she got the surprise of her life. She went into excruciating detail as she chronicled her initial feelings (fear, anger, guilt, sadness) and shared the joys as well.

Though she was deeply hurting inside, she continued photographing her little ones with pride and gave readers a glimpse into the wonderful world of motherhood. Her words greet me everyday with a wave of emotion (I often breakdown just reading her poetic writing) and really change my perspective on my own life. Here is a beautiful excerpt from a recent blog entry. I highly recommend you start following her blog.

I wonder if, back in the day, when women practically held their worth by how spit-shined their kitchens were or how the stiffness of the collars of their husband's shirts held up, were they really this put together...or did they maintain their dignity by never talking about when they did fall apart?

I find it refreshing in this day and age that women are talking about their short-comings, their fears, their insecurities and maybe, just by doing so, we are empowering each other a little more. Accepting that we all do these things, feel these things, say these things and moving on together to overcome them.

We are not perfect. We are messy and complicated and creative and good and we try our best at so many different endeavors. And it's this brew of wonderfulness that is indeed what makes us perfect.